


As the World Falls Apart

by Fist_Of_Justice



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Banter, Drift Compatibility, Language, M/M, Pacific Rim AU, Rivalry, Rivals to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Shuake Week 2020, Sparring, Training, which means they're soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27739828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fist_Of_Justice/pseuds/Fist_Of_Justice
Summary: “What are you doing, then? Shouldn’t you be picking your partner, oh great savior of ours?”“I’m working on it, but I know my match isn’t in there.”Akechi narrowed his eyes at him. “Perhaps you should be focusing on that instead of prancing around the facility in your bare feet. Do I have to remind you about the serious threat to all human civilization since these giant monsters have been popping out of the ocean like a bunch of weeds?”“I know what’s at stake,” Ren answered seriously and twirled his staff in his hands until the end pointed straight at Akechi, “which is why I want you to fight me.”Shuake Week 2020: Day 7 SoulmatesPacific Rim AU
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 12
Kudos: 73





	As the World Falls Apart

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't even get this idea until Shuake Week was already over but I thought I'd try to slip it in anyway (*/ω＼*)

Ren rested his weight on his staff as his eyes followed the quick movements of the two fighters on the mat. Both of them seemed to be well trained with the kind of sharp instincts that were required to be a Jaeger pilot. The point was to find someone drift compatible with _him_ , however, and with how easily he could anticipate both their moves, he’d say there was little chance of that. 

He sighed as he straightened up, allowing his gaze to wander over the crowd of fighters waiting for their turn in the center. Most of them were strangers to him, another reason why there was little chance of compatibility with them, but Iwai told him earlier to shut up and give it a chance. He couldn’t help but doubt when not even his closest friends, the best pilots in the Shatterdome after himself, weren’t compatible enough with him to handle the new and extremely powerful Jaeger he’d just been assigned. 

Movement on the other side of the ring captured Ren’s attention and he peered through the crowd just in time to see a flash of light brown hair and a pristine white lab coat underneath. Ren turned and slipped through the group, no longer interested in the training sessions taking place. His bare feet padded softly across the floor as he hurried to catch up to the figure power walking out of the room and into the adjacent hallway.

“Akechi,” Ren called out as he paused just inside of the hallway, knowing that if he went any further, he’d just have to turn around and find his shoes. He was relieved when Akechi stopped although he made no move to turn around. With a heavy sigh, Akechi slipped his hands in his lab coat pockets, shifting his weight between his legs.

“What is it, Amamiya-kun? I’m a busy man.”

“Seems you’ve had enough time to visit the training room of all places. Or did our prodigy scientist actually have a legitimate reason for it?” he asked playfully, twirling his staff mindlessly in his hands.

Akechi clicked his tongue and turned around. Ren kept his smirk in place as his heart raced erratically, the way it always did when Akechi’s sharp gaze fell on him. The whole world was literally going to shit, and yet he still managed to look perfect.

“I just thought observing some mindless idiots in their natural state might give me some insight into the Kaiju’s psyche. Can’t be too thorough in my research.” When Ren laughed at his rude comment, Akechi’s face softened slightly. “What are _you_ doing, then? Shouldn’t you be picking your partner, oh great savior of ours?”

“I’m working on it, but I know my match isn’t in there.”

Akechi narrowed his eyes at him. “Perhaps you should be focusing on that instead of prancing around the facility in your bare feet. Do I have to remind you about the serious threat to all human civilization since these giant monsters have been popping out of the ocean like a bunch of weeds?”

“I know what’s at stake,” Ren answered seriously and twirled his staff in his hands until the end pointed straight at Akechi, “which is why I want you to fight me.”

Akechi stared hard at him, his thoughts indecipherable to Ren. He held his gaze firmly, however, and didn’t move a muscle until a slight smile emerged on Akechi’s lips. Slowly, he walked back toward Ren as his insatiable curiosity began to seep into his expression. He didn’t stop until the end of Ren’s staff was positioned right in front of his chest and cupped his chin with his fingers.

“An interesting suggestion, but I can’t imagine why you would want to. I’m on the science team and have no piloting experience.”

“I doubt that would hinder you,” Ren said as he pulled the staff back and let the end drop to the floor with a _clack_. “I know you can fight, and I _know_ you would give anything for the chance to kick my ass.”

Akechi’s eyebrows shot up as he laughed. “And you’re not worried that I will?”

Ren shrugged. “It’s a definite possibility but even then, I feel like you’d have more compatibility with me than anyone else. What do you say? Unless _you’re_ worried that I’ll beat you instead. I guess it would make a scientist who spends most of his time in a lab nervous to spar with the facility’s top pilot.”

“You really are a fool if you think sparring with you would make me nervous. What I don’t understand is why you think we would be drift compatible, especially to the extent you’ll need in order to use _The Wildcard_.”

“Call it intuition. Oh, perhaps _that’s_ what’s worrying you…” He paused, waiting for his words to rile up Akechi’s inquisitive nature. When Akechi narrowed his eyes sharply at him and cocked his head, Ren smirked, knowing he had his undivided attention. “Your worst fear isn’t monsters or the possibility of failure. You’re terrified of having such an intense connection with someone, aren’t you?”

Akechi’s eyes widened slightly, proving Ren right. “Don’t you think it’s a big deal to let someone into your own thoughts, Amamiya-kun? Besides the occasional taunting session that you think is necessary, you aren’t the most talkative person.”

“I think you tend to initiate most of the taunting sessions, Akechi; I’m just trying to keep up with you. As far as my own thoughts go, I don’t mind sharing them. I just figured most people weren’t interested. It’s probably a good idea to give you a warning though, my thoughts tend to be a little… horny.” Ren’s spirits lifted higher as Akechi tried his hardest to subdue an amused smile. 

“I appreciate the information, so I’ll give you fair warning as well. My thoughts tend to dwell more on murder.”

“Oh? Any particular subject of your fantasies?” Ren asked teasingly, hardly turned off by the subject matter.

Akechi rolled his eyes all while a slight blush emerged on his cheeks. “I should think that’s obvious. Fine, I’ll join you in a little training session, but I don’t want to hear you crying when I destroy you.”

Ren perked up, twirling his staff in his hand without even thinking about it. “I would have thought you’d enjoy seeing me cry.”

“Ha!” Akechi huffed and swatted his hand, catching Ren’s staff and sending it straight into his head.

“Ow!”

“You’re right, that wouldn’t be so bad. Meet me in the training room in an hour. I need to change, and I’d rather wait until all those losers in there right now have gotten bored and moved onto better endeavors.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s just you and me,” Ren promised, giving Akechi a little wink. 

Akechi hardly looked impressed as he turned on his heel and glided down the hallway, but Ren was too excited for their match to let it bother him. Pivoting around, Ren rushed back to the training room in search of Iwai as he supervised the current sparring sessions. Once Ren explained the situation, he was certain Iwai would suspend the training and shoo everyone out to give Ren and Akechi the run of the training room. He’d never discussed it openly with Iwai, but he had the feeling that his commanding officer already had Akechi pegged as his match just as he did.

— 

An hour later, Ren was going through his stretches in the silent training room, keeping his body limber while he waited. He’d already shed his sweater, leaving him in just his black tank and sweatpants which allowed him to move freely as he flowed from one position to the next. There was something reverent about the space when he was the only one there, just the sound of his own deep breathing while the surrounding lamps filtered warm light and cool shadows across the mat.

He exhaled slowly as he balanced on his forearms and carefully straightened his legs above him, engaging all of his muscles to keep his body straight. Closing his eyes, he focused on maintaining the position as long as possible until he heard the soft swipe of bare feet on the mat behind him. His eyes flew open and he flipped forward onto his feet, raising his hands just in time to catch Akechi’s staff.

 _Oh God, I’m not ready for this_ , he thought, seeing nothing but Akechi’s hungry gaze framed by wisps of his beautiful hair that had fallen out of his ponytail, a hairstyle Ren had never seen on him before. Akechi chuckled as he leaned back, giving Ren a full view of his athletic frame garbed in clothes similar to his own except that his tank top was white.

“Not bad. I was wondering if I could catch you off guard.”

Ren smirked as he wandered backward to where he’d left his own staff. “I guess you’ll have to try harder than that.”

“Oh, I plan to.”

The idle conversation between them died after that; there was nothing else that needed to be said. Once Ren’s staff was back in his hand, they moved together, slowly sauntering around each other in a circle. Their eyes locked, neither wavering and hardly blinking, but Ren was keenly aware of every flicker of movement around Akechi’s gaze and knew that he was being observed just as closely. A slight twirl of a staff, a twist of a body, every little change at the moment was just to catch the other off-guard to cause an overreaction that could easily be taken advantage of.

They were both too experienced to fall for such a ruse, however, and soon their pace slowed until they stood still. Both adjusted their posture, coiling their muscles to be ready to spring into action. As he waited across the ring from Akechi, Ren kept his breathing even although his skin tingled with anticipation.

There was no signal when they both moved together; it was instinctual. The flow of the initial battle was almost juvenile, testing worn out strategies against the other as simple as moving pawns forward across a chess board. It was no less exciting for Ren as he moved in tandem with Akechi almost like they were dancing. He was the perfect rival and at the same time, the perfect partner.

His breath hitched as Akechi unexpectedly shifted gears, nearly smacking Ren’s head with his staff. Akechi used the sudden shift in momentum to his advantage and forced Ren back with a flurry of attacks. It took every ounce of concentration to block all of his hits but while Akechi was obviously the most skilled fighter he’d ever faced off against, Ren’s ultimate skill was in his adaptability. 

As his feet were fast approaching the edge of the mat, Ren could see a flicker of triumph in Akechi’s eyes. His next hit came a fraction slower than the others, just the thing Ren was waiting for. He dodged Akechi’s staff instead of blocking it, allowing his own body to drop toward the mat. As he caught himself, he landed a swiped kick against Akechi’s legs and since he was already leaning that way from his last missed attack, he didn’t have time to correct himself. 

While Akechi stumbled a few feet, Ren snapped his body up, landing lightly on his feet. They rushed back toward each other and met at the center of the mat. Their staffs clacked loudly with every impact and blurred in the air as they twirled them hard for another hit. Sweat dripped from Ren’s skin and his forced breaths burned in his lungs, but he didn’t dare hesitate for even a moment. He wouldn’t die or anything if he slipped up and Akechi beat him, but he would probably miss his chance to have him as his partner. 

As their pace moved even faster, Ren felt another kind of shift in the momentum of their fight. Their mutual desire to beat the other one was stronger than ever, but he also felt more connected to Akechi than ever before. He could anticipate Akechi’s moves better and he sensed that Akechi was picking up on things quicker as well, yet neither of them used that information to take advantage in the fight. It was almost as if both of them subconsciously didn’t want the fight to end.

And then, in the blink of an eye, everything stopped. Ren’s chest heaved as he stared at Akechi’s staff only an inch from his forehead. His eyes trailed down the smooth wood until they landed on Akechi himself as he blinked at the end of Ren’s staff, also positioned right in front of his face. 

“So, a draw?” Ren panted, flicking his tongue over his dried lips. 

Akechi scrunched up his nose as he allowed his staff to fall away from Ren’s face. “Shit.”

Ren laughed and dragged his fingers through his damp hair. “You can’t really be that disappointed. That was a damn good fight.”

“Who said it’s over?”

“Huh?” 

Akechi snickered and faster than Ren could react, Akechi’s staff swiped his legs out from under him. Ren grunted as his back hit the mat and before he could open his eyes, his hands were pinned above his head and a warm body pressed down hard on him. Akechi’s grin was triumphant as he hovered over him, cheeks a lovely shade of red from the exertion.

“I win.”

It took Ren a moment to yank his mind from the gutter to register what was actually happening. “It was a draw!”

Akechi scoffed. “I never conceded.”

“Now you’re just being a sore loser.”

“Even if I acknowledged the draw, it wouldn’t make me a loser.”

“To you, a draw is a loss. Akechi,” he said softly, shifting the mood to something more serious, “you sensed it, didn’t you? We’re an ideal match. I can’t go into this fight without you by my side. What do you say?”

Akechi stared down at him as he contemplated his answer. Ren was patient as he allowed him to think, considering the gravity of the decision. It also gave him the chance to stare back up at Akechi since he hardly ever got to see him in such a disheveled state; it was really sexy.

“I don’t know,” Akechi finally replied, his eyes glittering with mischief. “I think I still prefer you as my rival.”

“I don’t think that you’ll ever stop being my rival, even if we become partners. Besides, don’t you think we need to do everything we can at this point to defeat the Kaiju?”

Akechi hummed, twisting his lips to the side. “Let’s see… letting you into my own head or allowing monsters to destroy all life as we know it? I have to say, my gut tells me I should let the Kaiju win. Humanity is overrated anyway.”

Hearing the tease in Akechi’s tone, Ren stuck his bottom lip out in the most dramatic pout he could muster. With a gentle laugh, Akechi tightened his grip on Ren’s wrist and dipped lower. Ren’s heart raced into overdrive as Akechi opened his mouth and nabbed Ren’s bottom lip with his teeth, tugging on it slightly. Ren moaned and lifted his head, desperate for more and just as he’d expect from Akechi, he practically read his mind.

Releasing Ren’s lip from his teeth, Akechi tipped his head for a better angle and pressed their lips together. Ren closed his eyes and hummed, savoring the softness of Akechi’s lips and the heat of their bodies as they shifted into the kiss. It was both hot and frustrating as hell that he couldn’t move his hands, wanting to touch every inch of Akechi that he could reach. Luckily, the problem went both ways. 

With a deep growl in his throat, Akechi released Ren’s wrists and slid his hands down his arms. When they reached his shoulders, Akechi slipped them up to cup Ren’s face, angling it better to slip his tongue inside. Ren whined into the deep kiss, momentarily enraptured by Akechi’s hot tongue pressing against his own. When he finally came to his senses, he reached down, running his fingers down Akechi’s back until they slipped past the waistband of his pants. His deep hum was almost a purr as he fondled Akechi’s ass and pushed down, pressing their bodies even closer together. Akechi’s body shuddered with pleasure, his kisses growing a little more desperate as his fingers slipped into Ren’s hair and coiled into it.

Everything stopped with a sharp impact to their sides. They both helped and rolled over a few times, Akechi getting dislodged from him halfway and eventually landing on his back. Groaning from the pain, Ren blinked his eyes open to see a heavy medicine ball rolling past his head and guessed it was the culprit that interrupted their kissing. 

“Hey! No fucking in the training room,” Iwai’s voice growled from the edge of the training mat. 

Ren winced and sat up, reluctantly meeting his commander’s stern gaze. “Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

Iwai huffed out a laugh as he shifted the toothpick in his mouth. “Whatever, at least you finally found a compatible match for you to pilot _The Wildcard_. Now maybe we can finally end these bastards.”

“I like how you both keep assuming that I’ll do it,” Akechi said indignantly as he got to his feet. Regardless of what he said, he still walked over to Ren and offered him a hand up as well.

Iwai glared at Akechi for a moment, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, until finally he shrugged. “Fine. If that’s your decision, I think we’ll just have to go with our next best choice.”

Akechi’s face fell. “What?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to force you, science nerd. Given how well Ren gets along with Yusuke, I’d say they have enough compatibility to make that beast of a Jaeger work for us. What do you think, Ren?”

Out of all Ren’s closest friends, he _did_ have the most compatibility with Yusuke, but he and Iwai had already decided that it wasn’t good enough. When he caught the slight smirk on Iwai’s lips, however, Ren realized what he was doing and heaved a reluctant sigh.

“I think maybe you’re right, Commander. Besides, I think Yusuke trusts me enough to open his mind up to me. Should we go get him?”

“Wait, there’s no way you are using Yusuke,” Akechi snarled, his sharp eyes cutting into Ren’s skin. “The very idea is ridiculous. He’d take one look at the Kaiju and he’d want to fucking sketch the bastards. Or he’d get lost in a stupid memory or something. It would be dangerous to put him with— Oh, I see what you’re doing,” he sneered, relaxing his body posture. “You’re just trying to make me jealous. Well, it’s not going to work because I know you wouldn’t chance putting Ren with Yusuke.”

“I’ve got to put him with someone, Akechi. He can’t pilot the damn Jaeger by himself. Besides, Yusuke’s already been outfitted for his piloting armor. Looks damn good in it, too, from what I hear,” Iwai snickered.

Ren bit his lip to keep from laughing and made an impressed noise. “I haven’t seen him in it yet. I bet it really suits him.”

“God damn it,” Akechi growled and brushed past Ren so hard, he nearly knocked him off his feet. “Where do I get my armor? I might as well save this fucking planet from itself and watch _his_ back while I’m at it because God knows what you’d all do to him if I wasn’t around.”

Akechi never stopped his irate grumbling even as he left the room, the sound of his voice echoing down the hallway. 

“I can’t believe you finally got him to agree,” Ren mused, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s easier to convince someone when you’re not constantly trying to sleep with him at the same time.”

“Oh…”

Iwai laughed and clapped Ren on the arm. “I’m going to get him ready. Stay here and keep warmed up, we have a lot of training to do, kid. And after that, hey, a little romp in the bunk might make you two even more compatible than ever. Just keep your pants on while training, okay?”

Ren’s face caught on fire and he promptly played with a bit of hair in his eyes to hide it from Iwai’s view. “I promise. We’ll keep it confined to a bunk.”

Iwai kept chuckling as he left the room to catch up to Akechi, leaving Ren to himself. With a deep breath, Ren smoothed his hair back from his face and replayed the whole match in his mind. He figured that fighting Akechi would be an amazing experience, but he had no idea it would be that fun. 

Ever since he’d been assigned to pilot the ultimate Jaeger, he was proud to have such an honor but at the same time, felt the pressure of the whole world’s expectations resting on his shoulders. He was confident in his skills but at his base level, he was still apprehensive to face the kaiju and potentially die. 

But now Akechi was going to pilot _The Wildcard_ with him and suddenly, all his worries began to trickle away. Even if they went into a battle they couldn’t win and he felt his life ending, knowing that Akechi would be there with him, bonded with him in both body and soul, gave him the peace he’d been longing for. Now, he was ready for anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! I only just recently got into Persona 5 and I've been craving to write some fics for it, so hopefully this will be one of many! I tend to dabble with both canon compliant fics as well as au's... probably more au's than anything b/c I love my mashups XD If you enjoyed my writing and also like Haikyuu, I actually have another account (under Stacysmash) where I have 200+ fics, mainly Kurodai and rare pairs though.


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